Learning Syllabus

[Heartland Balladeer]

I have been the owner of a pedal steel guitar for nearly a year now and learned a few basics but for most of that time it was under the bed in its case. its only since I have got my Sho~Bud just after Christmas have I really started to play every day and learn. I find it to easy to jump around on youtube for instructional videos, learn a bit and move on without actually nailing anything, and on the other hand just going over the same things I haver already learned and not expanding.

If there was a diciplined syllabus to work through in order, I think it would benifit new players to improve quicker with better technique.

Can anyone suggest an order of steps to go through in order to make the most out of learning to play PSG?

Thanks in advance and appologies if this has been covered in writen form before.

[tonewheelkev]

+1......

........and move on without actually nailing anything, and on the other hand just going over the same things I haver already learned and not expanding.

If there was a disciplined syllabus to work through in order, I think it would benefit new players to improve quicker with better technique.

Can anyone suggest an order of steps to go through in order to make the most out of learning to play PSG?

[Will C]

When I started I had a reasonable understanding of how chords are built, and when to use them, from time spent playing a 6-string. That must have helped. But I focused early on trying to learn to play some pieces using guidance from YouTube videos, particularly Mickey Adams. That, and listening to anyone who would give me the time of day, I slowly built up a knowledge of where to find the chords, and most of their different inversions.

I can't really remember when it happened, but a day comes when you can listen to a YouTube video, realise what key it's in, and start to play along - hesitantly at first, but later, fluency comes. You start to think in whole "phrases" instead of single notes or chords. Just like learning a foreign language, really. As JD would say: "there's no substitute for seat time"!

Once you have a little confidence from that, you can go back over things and start polishing them for tone, phrasing and so on. It's all an incremental process - for me at least.

[Donny Johnston]

Go to the Sierra web site and check out the Joe Wright lessons. He does 10 lessons starting from the basics. Not to be missed.

[Danny Mitchell]

I've just revisited Joe Wright's lessons on the Sierra site. There's now 16 for E9. Absolute gold.

http://www.sierrasteels.com/lessons/e9th-lessons-2.html